Product news, releases, projects and more from the global distribution systems during January 2011 - all here, in one easy read.
Most recent updates first...
Tuesday 31 January 2011:
- Sabre Travel Network signs deal with private aircraft online booking service JetUs. The agreement sees JetUs selected as preferred partner for Sabre's GetThere system for corporate customers looking for private jets.
Saturday 29 January 2011:- United Continental: Working with GDSs, but they need to keep up [full list]
Friday 28 January 2011:- Amadeus signs software deal with Nok Air in Thailand. The airline is being touted as the first in Asia-Pacific to have an agreement for the Amadeus Total Demand by Airconomy product, a system to provide airlines, agencies and airports with market data on existing and new products.
Thursday 27 January 2011:- Travelport signs a new, multi-year GDS agreement with Polk Majestic Travel, a travel management company based in Colorado.
- Travelport launches another operation in the Middle East with Galileo Iraq. The business was created via an agreement signed between Travelport and Baghdad-based travel and tourism firm Qasar Al Nahrain to offer Galileo distribution to local agencies from February 2011.
Wednesday 26 January 2011:- With Sabre-American truce short-lived, Farelogix questions GDS motives [full story]
- Sabre urges customers to keep pressure on American Airlines [full story]
- Why the industry should wake up and smell the new distribution coffee [full story]
Tuesday 25 January 2011:- American Airlines and Sabre call temporary truce until June [full story]
- Travelport: Direct-Connect is not disruptive or innovative [full story]
Saturday 22 January 2011:- Expedia, US Airways sign GDS-connect content agreement [full story]
Friday 21 January 2011:- Travelport signs deal with hotel booking firm Hotelzon. The multi-year agreement sees Hotelzon use Travelport's Universal API to give agents access to its 100,000 hotels worldwide.
- Amadeus upgrades corporate self-booking tool, e-Travel Management. The latest version, number 14, includes new calendar displays, shopping basket features and integration with mobile services.
- Travelport Pacific managing director Shelley Beasley is leaving to joining Webjet. She will leave in February to become chief operating officer at the OTA, eventually reuniting with head of GTA by Travelport, John Guscic, who is leaving in April for WebJet.
- Open Allies for Airfare Transparency clearly opposes direct-connect [full story]
- Open Allies for Airfare Transparency: Full list of members [full story]
Thursday 20 January 2011:- Traveltainment unveils Timm Richter as its new CEO. Incumbent Andy Owen-Jones moves to the Amadeus mothership's Leisure Group supervisory board. Richter arrives from Berge & Meer, a German tour operator. He has also worked for Tchibo and consulted at McKinsey.
Wednesday 19 January 2011:- Magnuson Hotels signs four-year distribution deal with Travelport. The deal secures full access to Magnuson Hotels’ total room rates and inventory of more than 1,500 properties across North America and the UK for Travelport-connected agents.
- Travelport plays it straight over Priceline-American Airlines deal – for now [full story]
- Analyst: Other airlines to join American Airlines in distribution fight [full story]
- Priceline to work with American Airlines via Direct-Connect [full story]
- Amadeus-Forrester report: ancillary revenue vital to travel retailers [full story]
Tuesday 18 January 2011:- Travelport appoints new chief marketing officer in ex-Amadeus exec Gillian Gibson. Prior to joining Travelport, Gibson spent nearly eight years with Amadeus, most recently as vice president for its multinational customer group. She has also worked for Natwest Bank and Mastercard. Gibson replaces Sally Balcombe who is leaving the business in April 2011.
Friday 14 January 2011:- Travelport signs technology deal with Student Agency, a major air ticket retailer in the Czech Republic. The five-year agreement gives Student Agency access to Galileo-powered services such as e-Pricing and ticketing data tools.
- American Airlines furor? Air Canada, Travelport declare world peace [full story]
- Did Orbitz-Travelport contract prohibit American Airlines Direct Connect? [full story]
- American Airlines claims Sabre coordinated social media bad-mouthing, biasing actions created employee turmoil [full story]
Wednesday 12 January 2011:- Amadeus and the Spanish government sign agreement to promote sustainable tourism development [press release]
- Travelport renews agreement with travel management company World Travel Inc. The deal is "long-term" and covers WTI's 75 clients around the US. WTI is part of the Radius Global Travel Solutions group.
Tuesday 11 January 2011:- Travelport signs multi-year agreement with Air Canada. The agreement covers the three GDSs, Worldspan, Galileo and Apollo, for AC's Flight Pass, Tango, Tango Plus, Latitude and Executive fares.
- Abacus appoints Danny Kondic as vice president of channel management. Kondic previously worked for Malaysia Airlines and Kuoni and joins from Gullivers Travel Associates.
- Amadeus says it is one of the leading companies in Europe for investment in R&D. The GDS spent Euro 250 million on R&D in 2009 and has a workforce in the department of 4,000 people around the world.
- American Airlines sues Sabre over display bias and booking fee increase [full story]
Monday 10 January 2011:- Amadeus reviewing airline deals, hits out at Direct-Connect model [full story]
- Trying to understand the airline-GDS-OTA war? Try the animated version [full story]
- American Airlines Sabre violating contract [full story]
- Sabre hits American Airlines as distribution war escalates [full story]
Tuesday 4 January 2011:- Amadeus sells Vacation.com to Travel Leaders [full story]
Saturday 1 January 2011:- Amadeus says goodbye to CEO David Jones [full story]
Previous GDS updates: